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NNPC evacuates hazardous substance from refineries

By on June 10, 2015

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it has effectively evacuated 98 per cent of the banned Tetra Ethyl Lead (TEL) hazardous substance from its refineries.

NNPC stated that TEL, recognised as a dangerous substance that could cause lead poisoning and has been cleared from its Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries without any incidence, in line with the United Nations convention on TEL.

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) announced in 2011 that it had been successful in phasing out leaded petrol worldwide, thus ridding the world of leaded petrol.

Through the United Nations, UNEP led in efforts in this regard in developing countries which has resulted in about $2.4 trillion in annual benefits, 1.2 million fewer premature deaths, higher overall intelligence and 58 million fewer crimes. The NNPC however said at the occasion of the World Environment Day (WED) in Abuja that its feat is first of its kind in the world thereby positioning Nigeria and it on the global environmentally friendly map.

NNPC also disclosed that other countries where such evacuations were carried out werefound to have recorded several incidences.

The Corporation’s General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Rabiu Suleiman made this disclosure while the Corporation marked the WED, with a theme:  “7 Billion Dreams, One planet, Consume with Care.”

A lecture on this theme was delivered at NNPC by renowned environmentalist and Executive Director Basel Convention, Prof. Oladele Osibanjo, who also is a lecturer at the University of Ibadan.

In applauding NNPC for its phase out of TEL in gasoline from Nigeria, Osibanjo described the accomplishment as a successful adherence to environmental practices by the Corporation.

He stressed that companies like the NNPC that adopt environmentally friendly policies should be incentivised further to encourage other corporate bodies to do same.

Osibanjo’s commendation also came with the reiteration of NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Joseph Dawha of its determination to continue to carry out its operations in such a way that the environment would be preserved and green economy promoted.

Dawha was represented by the Group Executive Director, Refining and Petrochemical, Gregory Udoh. He noted that the NNPC would continue to execute and encourage policies and programmes that enhance health, safety and preservation of the environment in alignment with the United Nations’ conventions.

He explained that NNPC would continue to come up with proactive engagements that would cut down on consumption of natural resources, adding that it has cut down on gas flare and oil spill in Nigeria to promote a healthy and safe environment.

Similarly, the Group Executive Director, Engineering and Technology of the Corporation, Adebayo Ibirogba said that as part of NNPC’s determination to promote clean environment, it is pushing efforts to encourage the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is a cleaner, safer and cheaper domestic fuel.

Ibirogba stated that NNPC as the largest equity owner of the LPG produced in Nigeria and also currently the sole producer and importer of one of the major competing fuels to LPG which is kerosene remains in the right position to promote consumption of LPG.

According to him, NNPC owns over 60 per cent of the current in-country LPG storage facility with capacity totalling 60,000 tons and that its retail arm was working to increase the circulation of LPG cylinders in the country from less than a million to 10 million within the years ahead.

 

[ThisDay]